(Anglais) 31/05/2017 – Belgian Association for Psychological Science (Bruxelles)
Wauthia, E., & Rossignol, M. (2017) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ANXIETY SENSITIVITY, ANXIETY TRAIT SYMPTOMS AND PERSONALITY FACTORS IN CHILDREN
Abstract book page 102
Anxiety disorders (AD) are the most common psychopathological conditions in children and adolescents, making the research for etiological factors determinant. Among these, neuroticism is a personality dimension thought to make children prone to display anxiety and arousal in novel or aversive situations. Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has also been seen as a risk factor for AD. It refers to the fear of anxiety-related sensations, based on the false belief that anxiety symptoms may have harmful consequences. Although these constructs share common features and are supposed to play a role in the emergence of anxiety symptoms, little is known about their relationships. This study aimed to address this gap and to evaluate whether personality factors can predict emotional difficulties in children from 8 to 12. To this aim, a community-based sample of 164 children completed the Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale for Children (STAI-C), the Children Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI), and the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C). Backward regression analyses showed that anxiety sensitivity was better predicted by low levels of agreeableness (p=.027). Moreover, high level of anxiety sensitivity, low levels of extraversion and high levels of neuroticism predicted trait anxiety in those children (all p-values <.005). These results indicate that neuroticism and AS are two distinct concepts which, associated with low levels of extraversion, predict trait anxiety. However, contrary to our expectations, neuroticism do not predict AS which may relate to personality dimensions such as agreeableness. The data suggest that children who are less able to develop interpersonal relationships are also more prone to have detrimental considerations of themselves and their bodily sensations. These data suggest that AS and personality factors have to be taken into account in the framework of current models of children anxiety disorders.